quake (Woodbridge: elementary school, college, airport)

[guilliam]

Now it's easy to see how unnecessary panic occurs in crowds. This was an earthquake of the type that is routine out west, and certainly no one runs for the hills or leaves work early for something like this. Calm done, folks. Things are OK.

[VTHokieFan]

Originally Posted by coo77

This is just an average quake folks.

I'm so sick of people from out west saying this like they're too cool for school. We don't get quakes out here

You can't even handle an inch of rain.

[sullyguy]

Originally Posted by guilliam

This was an earthquake of the type that is routine out west

Not to downplay west coast quakes, but apparently this was an extremely shallow quake, meaning the effects of it are significantly greater than a deep quake.

[CaliTerp07]

I enjoyed it--made me feel like I was back home!

Not nearly as intense as the last few I remember in So Cal though. The last one I remember was the Paso Robles quake in 2003, and that one involved less shaking and more rolling--like, waves coming through the floor, making you move up and down. It was weird.

Parents, make sure your kiddos know what to do if this kind of thing happens while they're in school. I was in teacher training today and the teachers were running around like chickens without their heads, because they had no idea what to do either. (Hopefully, that was a wake up call to the district to update emergency plans, but still!) It was very routine (like a fire drill) growing up in California, but it's not something ever practiced in the schools here that I've seen.

You should be under a desk with your head/neck covered holding onto the legs of the desk if possible, away from anything that could fall (hanging tv, textbooks on a shelf, glass beakers in a science class, etc), and away from windows that could shatter. You should not be running for the outside, crowding in hallways like a tornado, etc.

[Caladium]

Originally Posted by guilliam

Now it's easy to see how unnecessary panic occurs in crowds. This was an earthquake of the type that is routine out west, and certainly no one runs for the hills or leaves work early for something like this. Calm done, folks. Things are OK.

??? I don't see anyone panicking. I see quite a few people telling jokes and some people saying it scared them, but that's not what I'd call "panic occurring in crowds." The OP got bored and went to the pool. Big panic.

Also, as a person who's lived in both Los Angeles and Virginia, I'd be more concerned about a quake here simply because the buildings are not built with earthquakes in mind. Of course, it turned out the buildings held up just fine--good to know but I don't blame anyone for running out of a building, especially here in a town that isn't built for earthquakes. That's not panic it's just common sense.

[Caladium]

Speaking about jokes, I really can't wait to hear what Colbert and all the other comedians have to say about this tonight.

[CaliTerp07]

Originally Posted by Caladium

??? I don't see anyone panicking. I see quite a few people telling jokes and some people saying it scared them, but that's not what I'd call "panic occurring in crowds." The OP got bored and went to the pool. Big panic.

Lots of panic stories coming out of people rushing out of buildings into the street, running to their cars in underground parking garages and trying to get out ASAP, running around offices screaming about collapsing buildings...

I think most people were just startled, but many people reacted without thinking.

[sullyguy]

Some of the videos of real damage - like the facade of the building that fell and crushed numerous cars - suggest this wasn't just a minor shaking.

[spencgr]

The "panic" is evident on the roads. Every major artery conjested beyond belief. Once again, everyone leaves at the same time, and causes a total traffic nightmare.

Personally, I don't think this area can handle anything - hurricane, earthquake, snowstorm, thunderstorm.......all of it makes the masses head for the roads.......

[The Dissenter]

Originally Posted by spencgr

The "panic" is evident on the roads. Every major artery conjested beyond belief. Once again, everyone leaves at the same time, and causes a total traffic nightmare.

Personally, I don't think this area can handle anything - hurricane, earthquake, snowstorm, thunderstorm.......all of it makes the masses head for the roads.......

I would have bet money on that one. This will be like primary night Feburary 2008 where it took me 1 hour 40 minutes to go 6 miles from Bailey's Crossroads to Landmark.